Vegas picks
William Karlsson, F, Columbus Clayton Stoner, D, Anaheim Erik Haula, F, Minnesota Trevor van Riemsdyk, D, Chicago Marc-Andre Fleury, G, Pittsburgh Nate Schmidt, D, Washington Brendan Leipsic, F, Toronto Boston Bruins: Colin Miller, D, Boston Marc Methot, D, Ottawa David Schlemko, D, San Jose David Perron, F, St. Louis Oscar Lindberg, F, Rangers Griffin Reinhart, D, Oilers Alexei Emelin, D, Montreal Calvin Pickard, G, Colorado Luca Sbisa, D, Vancouver Teemu Pulkkinen, F, Arizona Jon Merrill, D, New Jersey William Carrier, F, Buffalo Tomas Nosek, F, Detroit Cody Eakin, F, Dallas Jonathan Marchessault, F, Florida Brayden McNabb, D, Los Angeles Connor Brickley, F, Carolina Chris Thorburn, F, Winnipeg Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, F, Philadelphia Jason Garrison, D, Tampa Bay Jean-Francois Berube, G, Islanders James Neal, F, Nashville Deryk Engelland, D, Calgary
will come in handy if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen is successful in his attempts to add high-end offensive talent.
Because Clarkson’s contract is insured, the Golden Knights will pay just $1.05 million per season through the end of his contract in 2020. Clarkson, now head coach at Upper Arlington High School, will travel to the desert twice a year, for physicals at the start and end of the season.
The Blue Jackets will miss Karlsson’s play on the penalty kill and his ability to excel in a third-line checking role. As last season progressed, coach John Tortorella began to trust him against the opponent’s top players, and he was one of Columbus’ top performers in their first-round playoff series against Pittsburgh.
In 81 regular-season games, Karlsson had six
goals, 19 assists and a plus-10 rating, with an average of 13:23 in ice time.
If the Blue Jackets stay in-house, Lukas Sedlak, a fourth-line pivot last season, would be a logical candidate for a bigger role.
But there are other options, too.
Center Pierre-Luc Dubois, the No. 3 overall pick in last June’s draft, will get a long look in training camp and could make the club in a third-line capacity.
Sam Gagner, an unrestricted free agent on July 1, seemed headed to the open market after a resurgent season in Columbus (18 goals, 50 points). Maybe now the Blue Jackets will circle back and try to keep him in the fold.
The asking price to “steer” Vegas toward Karlsson — two high draft picks — might seem steep.
But as the expansion
draft drew near, it was clear that Vegas was in the driving seat with clubs who had protection issues, and Columbus — one of the early teams to settle with Vegas — was only paying market value.
The New York Islanders, for example, traded a first-round pick this year, a second-round pick in 2018, veteran Mikhail Grabovski and a prospect to Vegas to take goaltender Jean-Francois Berube.
Unofficially, the Knights had nine trades in place before the draft was staged in T-Mobile Arena, where Vegas will begin playing its games in the fall.
At least some of those players could be on the move as soon as Thursday, as Vegas trades them to acquire future assets — top prospects, high-end picks, etc.